When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Those dogs are fake. You can't take a real life picture like that. That's an awesome picture!
Norm - Thanks, they're more than real. Here's just a couple more taken just within the past few days. Our female, Maggie Mae, is a Daddy's girl and loves to lay on my lap in this position while we watch TV.
All Right Knock it off, Chris!!!! I want one!! NO I DON"T!!!!! Ugh...
Thanks Greg, they really are sweet and loving dogs, not the stereotype I had in my mind of a bulldog. They are very affectionate, want to be near you, are good with children and extremely smart. They have their downsides, like they can't exert themselves at temperatures over 80, can have breathing and skin issues, and have relatively short life spans, around 9 or 10-years.. Luckily, ours are healthy, although our female did have to have a surgery to open up her nasal passages and soft palate a little more when she was a puppy so she could breathe easier. I love them to death, but frankly if it was just me, I would never have got them, simply because they tie us down a bit. I had hoped to travel more when I retired, and I've had a hard time with my wife being able to find a kennel she trusts to keep them for a week or two. At least she'll leave them for about 7-hours now where we can go on short day trips. I may end up getting a Toy Hauler style travel trailer and then we could take them with us on longer trips, but that would have it's own issues, like the fact I don't have the space to store a trailer like that. Life sure has it's share of compromises and trade-offs doesn't it!
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; December 16th, 2020 at 06:58 AM.
Good morning guys,
Slept late this morning until 0800, which is very late for me. Probably the result of the dogs getting me up at 0400 yesterday. I'm glad they let me sleep in a little this morning.
Well, it's definitely winter. There is a dusting of snow on the rooftops, grass, and as you can see in the pic, on my deck this morning. It was only 30 when I got up at 0800, and not supposed to get above about 36. Totally gray skies, looking like a typical Missouri winter day. At least there's no more snow in the forecast. It's supposed to warm up some into the 50's this weekend, which will be nice because we're supposed to start helping my oldest daughter and her husband start moving into their new house on Sunday.
Hope everyone has a great day!
James - Some can, some can't, but I don't have any idea about %'s. If I had to guess I'd say more can't. I've seen videos of several swimming on the internet, even one surfing. We never tried to see if ours can. Knowing my wife, if we were going to be around water with them, they'd have on their doggy life jackets.
I may end up getting a Toy Hauler style travel trailer and then we could take them with us on longer trips, but that would have it's own issues, like the fact I don't have the space to store a trailer like that. Life sure has it's share of compromises and trade-offs doesn't it!
We use a seat hammock for our two so they can ride in the back seat on trips. It helps that we have a wagon with lots of rear cargo space so we can easily put all of our gear back there and don't need the seat for storage. Even if we needed more room, there's always rooftop carriers and trailer hitch carriers for that.
We use a seat hammock for our two so they can ride in the back seat on trips. It helps that we have a wagon with lots of rear cargo space so we can easily put all of our gear back there and don't need the seat for storage. Even if we needed more room, there's always rooftop carriers and trailer hitch carriers for that.
Kenneth - We have a seat hammock too that we use when we take them to the vet or for other short trips. When we only had one, our male Monty rode with us on a 6-day trip to Colorado Springs where we stayed in a pet friendly Air B&B and he did fine. We would then take him with us to the relatives house we were visiting with because they were ok with it.. However, I think it would be hard for us to go to alot of places where we couldn't take them with us while we were there, like to the beach, hiking, restaurants, tourist attractions, etc. They need to be able to stay behind in an air conditioned space in something we own when we are doing those types of activities. We certainly could not leave them alone in a pet friendly hotel or other similar establishment.
Slow day at work. The number was reduced and we finished up and sat. That's because our lead wasn't there. Gotta do this two more times and then the weekend.
Norm I see those old fireplaces bricked up a lot. Is it because their main function was heat and they aren't needed anymore, or because there's something wrong with the chimney and it isn't worth the effort to fix it? Did you leave a time capsule behind there?
My air ducts are all the flexible kind, that run all over the house with no apparent rhyme or reason. In the crawl space there's a big box that I thought was some sort of plenum for intake air with a mesh sheet that I thought was a filter. Turns out it's for the return air going out to the handler. I don't know why it has to filter the return air, but that's the only filter in the system. Well, I taped a mesh filter over the front of one of the return ducts. Even though it's only part of the system it sure grabs a lot of gunk. This place is going to be a hard sell, and most likely at a loss, so I'm not in a hurry to do a lot of fixes for the next people.
Got the stove going good. That's what keeps me from having high heating bills in the winter That and keeping the thermostat at 65. My firewood must have been damp and I didn't realize it. The last couple nights I couldn't get it to light for nothing. Tonight it's going strong and I even added a couple wet pieces after it was going and they dried out and burned pretty good. I try not to put wet wood in there because it leaves a thick film on the window.
Chris when I didn't have a dog or I was at home and Mom looked after him, I traveled a lot. Having recently hired on with an airline it was loads of fun to hop on a plane and head off somewhere on my days off. After I moved to Atlanta I still traveled quite a bit, but then when my dog came to stay with me that all stopped. I was fine with it. I would have rather had him with me than travel. After he died I started in with the traveling again. When I got my boy and girl I pretty much didn't travel at all for that 7 years. When they both died I said, here is my chance to catch up on my traveling. Right. Two months later I got Tiger. Haven't regretted one minute. Now when I go to my Mom's he goes with and sits in the front seat. He's actually too big for it.
Well I'm cleaned up and ready for tomorrow, so I'll relax a little and then hit the sack. Hope everyone has a good evening.
Good evening guys,
Slow, but good day here. It's only 5:40 pm, but feels like 10:00 because it's pitch black out. Any of you other guys hate Daylight Savings Time as much as I do? I would absolutely love for every state to get rid of it. Living on the far eastern edge of the Central Time Zone it gets dark so early here under Daylight Savings Time. Ugh!!!
Norm - Adding to Mike's questions about the fireplaces you bricked up, did you ever have any thoughts about converting 1 or 2 to natural gas fireplaces before you bricked them up? We love the one in our Great Room and so do the dogs. What I really love about it is that it keeps our main living area (Great Room, Breakfast Area, Kitchen, Dining Room) warm without the main furnace kicking on until it stays below about 30 outside for a substantial amount of time. Even then it keeps the main furnace from coming on as often. It saves us quite a bit on our heating bills. The ambiance is just an added bonus!
Good morning guys,
Clear and very cold here this morning at 20 and it's not supposed to get above 38. Just thanking my lucky stars I don’t live in the northeast! No big plans for today. My wife is STILL working on her Laundry Room remodeling project. She may be done by Spring.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Well the electrical inspector came to my neighbors house yesterday and promptly flunked the electrical box that the electrician put back on the house. They have had no electricity to their house since Nov 15th! Over a month and still counting! This is a long story and it would take all morning of hunt and pecking for me to tell you it all. It is completely unsatisfactory! Storm came thru on Nov 15 and top of a pole broke off, transformer came down and ripped electrical mast/meter socket off house. It is a 2nd home and they just come up once in a while, can you imagine if they were living there? Anyway I ran 2 long extension cords over from my house and thru a window into their basement and temporarily hooked up the boiler, otherwise place may have been frozen up by now. What a bunch of BS, Well now the electrician has to redo the electric meter and whatever else inside, then inspector can come back and approve it , then utility can come and reconnect, I am feeling much better but bored to death with this quarantining!
Greg - You're a good neighbor, they're lucky they have you next door. Ridiculous situation though, you wouldn't think it should be that difficult if the work is being done by a professional electrician. Glad you're feeling better. You've been quarantining so you don't get anyone else sick, I've pretty much been quarantining so I don’t get my wife or myself sick, results are the same, boredom. Really looking forward to the days when we've put this crisis behind us!
They have had no electricity to their house since Nov 15th! Over a month and still counting!
Imagine whole cities with hundreds of houses with that scenario, and you have the Gulf Coast areas that were hit by the recent (last was October 5) hurricanes. Multiple of my family members are still displaced from their houses.
Imagine whole cities with hundreds of houses with that scenario, and you have the Gulf Coast areas that were hit by the recent (last was October 5) hurricanes. Multiple of my family members are still displaced from their houses.
Kenneth - That is sad. If the pandemic and related economic impacts weren't enough, being displaced from your home adds insult to injury. I always remind my kids they don't have to look far to find a whole bunch of folks who have things a whole hell of alot tougher than they do. That has never been more true than today in my lifetime. I hope the new year brings better times for your family members who are still suffering from the effects of the hurricanes.
Good morning to all. I would like to apologize for any people I have offended here this year. This place has been one of the few bright spots for all us. Let's keep it from turning into ROP. Many lost lives, jobs and security during this awful Pandemic, It makes everyone on egg shells, myself included. Losing my Mom, topped up this terrible year and just before Christmas. Let's hope the vaccine works and our lives get back to normal.
Good day at work, we finished up early and of course sat. I got a little nap in... Hope tomorrow people feel a little more expeditious.
Cold here but the sun came out a little while ago. That makes things better. I read that between yesterday and December 21 we'll be able to see the Star of Bethlehem an hour after sundown. Hasn't been seen in 800 years. I always thought the Star of Bethlehem was the North Star.
So question. What if I got a shipping container and put all/most of my household stuff in it for a few months? They are advertised as leak-proof but will moisture get in anyway, as well as critters or bugs? I know they get hot in the summer, I'm not sure how long the stuff will be in there. I found a place I love, but it's way more than I can afford with two mortgages, so my Realtor said I should sell my house first and then I'd be able to buy the more expensive house. I tend to agree with her but she's not the one having to move multiple times and store stuff and make sure a dog is taken care of in the mix. And she won't take me to see the place because "there needs to be a discussion with the lender." Well, if I see the place in person and don't like it then I don't need to worry about all the other stuff. This chick is starting to annoy me a little. I should really cut her loose. She doesn't even like Awful house.
Time to eat. I am running out of food at my house because I'm going to be gone for a few days and don't want stuff sitting around. I'll scrounge something tonight and then probably Awful house until I leave. Or I could go get a few things. Tiger has plenty that's all I'm worried about.
Okay have a good evening everyone. One more to go.
Well Norm, it appears that I don't, either. I went to my favorite Wikipedia to read up. It seems it's the lining up of Jupiter and Venus and someone's moon, but then it has a bunch of scientific stuff in there that I can't decipher. So then I looked up North star. We always learned in school it was the tip of the Big Dipper. Wikipedia says it's the tip of the Little Dipper. And that the dippers aren't constellations but asterisms inside of a constellation. And more scientific stuff. So now I wonder what the hell my teachers were teaching way back then.
Had Italian Wedding soup for my dinner. Sadly, it was out of a can. My neighbor used to make it for me from scratch. I never heard of it before they moved in and it turned out to be my favorite thing she made.
Jamesbo I know that, but I can see why she wouldn't want to take time to show me a place I can't buy. I'm not into wasting anyone's time, but I explained to her that if I saw the place and didn't like it in person, I wouldn't jump through the hoops of displacing myself and selling my house, only to risk having the place sell before I can be ready. I actually think she's getting a little tire of me, which I can see, but I am a past client and she made money off me and did not a lot for it, so she needs to keep that in mind. Maybe I'll remind her.
Yep, by the 21st Jupiter and Saturn will be 1/5 the diameter of the moon apart and look like a double planet
This is what it looked like last night from my back yard. Just close enough to get both in the same view of my lowest magnification eyepiece.
Kenneth - Thanks, that's a great picture! What direction in the night sky should we look for them as they get closer and closer? I hope we have some clear skies for the next several days.
They will be in the southwest. Here they are visible maybe 30 minutes after sunset, then go below the horizon around 7:00 or so.
This is where they will be today at 6:30 pm MST. Jupiter and Saturn are on top of each other in this shot. That's the sun in the lower right, so there's not much viewing time between sunset and planet set.
Last edited by Fun71; December 17th, 2020 at 04:25 PM.
Good morning to all. I would like to apologize for any people I have offended here this year. This place has been one of the few bright spots for all us. Let's keep it from turning into ROP. Many lost lives, jobs and security during this awful Pandemic, It makes everyone on egg shells, myself included. Losing my Mom, topped up this terrible year and just before Christmas. Let's hope the vaccine works and our lives get back to normal.
You haven't offended me at all, I think you offer good info and advise,etc. I agree this site is a great way to spend time during this crazy times we are in. I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. That is always tough no matter how old you are.
Good evening guys,
Good day here in St. Louis, cold, but pretty out with full sunshine all day.
Just found out about an hour ago that a picture of one of my 3 "Covid Heroes" is on the Home Page of her hospital's Facebook Account. My youngest daughter Blaire who is in a Nurse Educator position was chosen to teach protocols for handling, prep, and administering the Pfizer vaccine. Here she is in action!
They will be in the southwest. Here they are visible maybe 30 minutes after sunset, then go below the horizon around 7:00 or so.
This is where they will be today at 6:30 pm MST. Jupiter and Saturn are on top of each other in this shot. That's the sun in the lower right, so there's not much viewing time between sunset and planet set.
Kenneth - Thanks, glad to know not only the direction, but the time window during which they're visible.
Kenneth - Killer images!
Mike - Here's how I learned the position of Ursa Major (North Star = Polaris) and it is how I always know I've found the North Star - it's a simple rhyme.
Top of the big bucket points to the top of the little handle.
I learned to close one eye, put your finger and thumb to measure the distance between those two stars on the right side of the dipper, and the north star is 5 fingertip spans away in the direction of the open dipper end.
Chris, congrats to the proud dad. We won't be able to see the alignment of the planets as it will likely to be overcast per the local meteorologist. Wouldn't matter to me anyways as I will be working. Mike, I had pretty good luck with my realtor when I bought this house. I had used him before when we sold my parents house. I started looking at houses in June, and did not buy this one until October of 2016. I mentioned, half apologizing for taking up his time due to how long it took to get a house that I was satisfied with. He replied that it was no big deal. Maybe finding a realtor with a little patience is in order.
Well, here in Eastern PA, that storm was kind of a bust (although it did bring weather personality Jim Cantore to town), promised up to 24 inches at one point, only produced about 10. Plowed streets were down to asphalt by afternoon.
Good morning guys,
Cold again here this morning at 25 with heavy frost, but supposed to be sunshine and warmer this afternoon reaching about 50. The temps are supposed to continue to rise for the next few days reaching a high around 60 this coming Tuesday. That sounds like it will be a good day to start the 442 and my bikes up, pull them out, and drive any moisture out of them.
The warming temps will also be nice for starting to move my older daughter into her new house this coming Monday. They're closing Monday morning and we'll start moving them Monday afternoon. I'm going to drive my truck up to her current house on Sunday and load up a truck full, and then meet them at their new place on Monday.
Ah, the week is over. Nine days to myself. We finished up around noon today and hit the road.
Beautiful out. The thing in the car says 50 but it's a bit too chilly for me to believe it. No matter, the sun is out.
Don't have much going on so I can sit here and wait for the lender to call and not be busy. I'm sure she's in a hurry to call late on a Friday afternoon. Buying my first two houses was easy. This is a pain. I'd much rather stick to cars. Not as much money and done in an afternoon.
Okay everyone have a great weekend. I'm staying up late tonight, because I can! And sleeping in. I'll have to make sure Tiger sees that memo.
December 15th, 2020, 06:32 PM
